Entry

The Minister of Justice Li Shi-da, the Censor-in-chief of the Left (Alt: Right) in the Censorate Wu Shi-lai, and the Vice Minister of the Left in the Court of Judicial Review Li Dong, jointly investigated the matter of the offending official Li Cai and others in the victory against Ava-Burma, and memorialized: "As Meng-yang had requested support, Li Cai and Liu Tian-feng had despatched troops to relieve them. The crack native yi troops joined forces and did battle, defeating the powerful Ava-Burma bandits. They [Li and Liu] made plans, sent spies and used yi to attack yi. Their achievements were excellent and cannot be disregarded. However, they were over-anxious in reporting victory and exaggerated reports. The reported number of heads taken and persons captured was not the true figure, while the number of walled cities taken and the amount of territory opened up was particularly over-stated. They coveted merit and the details provided were false. How can they shirk such crimes. As to the killing of yi and the dismemberment of corpses, the crime lies with soldiers who acted thus in respect of persons who were unwilling to surrender. Punishment can either be light or heavy but it is appropriate, due to the doubts involved, that lenience be shown. As the external yi have only newly come to allegiance, the achievements should be seen as the principal factor. Li Cai and Liu Tian-feng should be stripped of their posts and sentenced to banishment. Chen Yan-zhi and Song Ru should be demoted and await future employment." The Emperor was angered at the differences in the accounts and ordered that the Prison Intendent Li Deng-yun and others be dismissed and sent back to their guards, and that Cai and so on be subject to heavy punishment.